


Forged Alliance: The Wrath and the Night

by Anchanted_One



Series: Tales from The Old Republic [9]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Forged Alliances, Gen, New Friendships, Shadow of Revan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27664618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anchanted_One/pseuds/Anchanted_One
Series: Tales from The Old Republic [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1257356
Kudos: 2





	Forged Alliance: The Wrath and the Night

* * *

**Vaiken Space Dock**

War is hours spent fighting, and weeks waiting. 

Darth Nox was used to this truth by now. One had to find ways to pass the time. Some soldiers and Sith did it with meditation, some by sleeping. Others, by finding hobbies that could be indulged in packed halls. 

Nox spent that time in study. Part of the reason was because she loved it, but the greater part was that as the Head of the Pyramid of Ancient Knowledge, it was expected that she be learned. 

Problem was, she'd spent more than half her life as a slave before being selected to become an acolyte on Korriban. A pedigree as lowly as that meant that even in the Sith Academy she was rarely allowed to read up. She had never been given access to the Holocron library. A lot of her lessons had involved being thrust into the dangerous wastes outside the Academy, and figure out the Force by herself. The closest she had come to proper lessons were the haughty tutors tasked with ensuring that every student, no matter how lowly, had some basic knowledge of the Force. 

Once Zash had taken her under her wing she had opened up her libraries to her, but Nox had often been too busy to dedicate more than a few hours each week to learning. Not nearly enough time to make up for a lifetime of lost learning. 

It wasn't until Zash needed her traveling the Galaxy--when Nox had a ship of her own, and days spent in transit--that was when she had finally begun to fill in the chasms in her knowledge. 

History was what she missed most dearly, and what she spent the bulk of her time on aside from the study of the Force itself. 

Absorbed though she was, she still Sensed the quiet presence of her host's most trusted advisor. 

"Hello, Lana." 

"Forgive me, Dark Lord. I did not mean to intrude." 

"Just as well. I'd like to continue our discussion from earlier, if you have the time." 

"Actually Dark Lord, I came to inform you that our final guest will be arriving in a few moments. Darth Arkous has requested you to join us for the briefing. Perhaps we can pick up where we left off later?" 

"Certainly. We'll have to make time, if Arkous is willing to spare you. Lead the way please!" 

* * *

Nox followed the blonde Sith out of the Lounge, and into the mission control room on the opposite side of the corridor. She didn't know what to make of this strange woman, who was a litany of contradictions. She was Sith, yet was very different from the stereotype. She was calm and relaxed, and spent almost no time in pursuing personal advancement. Which wasn't to say she was emotionless or unambitious though. Yes, Nox could sense those, underneath the surface. 

But she Sensed no hatred, anger, arrogance, lust, love, or devotion. 

And despite not seeking glory or power or even her Lord's approval, there was no doubt that Lana Beniko was a highly driven woman. It was just that so far as Nox could tell, Lana's biggest drive was her desire to learn. 

Much like Nox herself. That made her feel a certain kinship with the pale woman, but years of dealing with other Sith made her especially suspicious of those that seemed to be reasonable. 

After all, Zash herself had tried to portray herself as a scholar at first. Back before she'd betrayed her. That betrayal had broken Nox's heart--for she had come to love her Master like a second mother, despite her ancestor's ghost constantly warning her to be on her guard. 

After that betrayal, Nox had never trusted another Sith again.

She followed Lana into the next room, where Darth Arkous gave her a polite grin. And then, she sat down to wait for their guests. She didn't have to wait long; in less than a minute she could Sense the guest's approach. Difficult not to: whoever they were strong in the Dark Side. It wasn't Darth Marr though, or any of the other Councillors. 

She heard the lift come to a halt on this level, then the doors parted again and revealed their long-awaited guest. 

Darth Nox inhaled softly. It was Darth Prowle, the Emperor's Wrath. 

* * *

Kai'rene smiled around broadly as she entered. There were four people in the room. Dark Council members Darths Arkous--who had been the one to invite her--and Nox, whom she had seen in passing a few times but never properly been introduced to. The other two were a pale, pale woman and a Chagrian who was channeling his rage. 

"Welcome, Lord Wrath, welcome! Please, come right in. Make yourself at home." 

Kai'rene accepted the invitation and entered the room, Quinn and Pierce close on her heels, and deposited her cape and helmet on a nearby stand. 

"Captain Quinn here helps me with strategy, and Lieutenant Pierce is former Black-Ops. I hope you don't mind my bringing them along." 

"Not at all, Lord Wrath," Arkous said, tilting his head to both men. "Do be advised though, if you stay for the briefing but do not join in the assault, you will have to remain in operational quarantine until the mission starts." 

Both men bowed low and nodded their understanding. 

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my Lord. As Minister of Military Offense, I have repeatedly enjoyed the fruits of your labor. You have heard of my colleague, Darth Nox. This is my trusted advisor Lana Beniko," he indicated the human woman "and this is Lord Goh." 

"It is an honor to have you with us, Lord Wrath," Lord Lana said. Her voice was quiet, but held a power that Kai'rene could not help but notice. "So much strength I sense in you. After all the trials you've endured, to stand here now is quite an achievement." 

"And I'm not even thirty yet," Kai'rene grinned. "But really, I can Sense your own strength. It is considerable." 

"I have always been fortunate in that regard. You have been invited here for an act that has till now been thought impossible: a ground assault on the Jedi Temple on Tython." 

Arkous picked up the thread. "Promising leads have been scarce since Imperial Intelligence was effectively disbanded. However, a source I personally trust has alerted me to a hole in Tython's defenses. If we act fast and strike hard, it will absolutely ruin Republic morale." 

"Beyond that," Darth Nox spoke up. "If we can capture their Archives, we will be rewarded with a trove of knowledge of Jedi secret histories. Forbidden secrets, forgotten tombs and caches of dark Jedi, secret histories and philosophies. We've been losing ground fast since Corellia. This might be our chance to reverse our fortunes in this war."

"Has the location of the one who killed the Emperor been confirmed? Is he on Tython?" 

"Jedi Knight Arro is on Brentaal IV at the moment. From what we can tell, he needed a reprieve from the front lines but didn't want to retreat all the way to Tython." 

"Part of me hoped to fight him, but it's probably just as well. If he was down there, I doubt the Temple could be taken without significant losses. If even then." 

"He's not the only one currently not on Tython. I wasn't kidding when I said defenses are currently weak." 

That perked her ears. "How many real threats are down there?" 

"Just one," Lana responded. "Battlemaster Oric Traless." 

"Battlemaster?" Kai'rene barked. "It will still be an interesting fight then. I'm in. Not that there was any doubt. Will any of you be joining us?"

"Darth Arkous and I will be in orbit," Lana said. "While he oversees the entire assault, I'll be your personal contact from the flagship." 

"And I intend to join you on the ground," Nox said. "In case I've done a good job hiding it, I really do want to see that library for myself. I'll watch your back out there." 

"And Lord Goh will be tasked with keeping the archives for as long as possible once we begin to pull out." Arkous finished. "Any questions?"

Kai'rene looked at Quinn, and he cleared his throat. "Dark Lord. How long do you expect our window to last? How long do we have down there?" 

"The window should open in eleven hours," Arkous replied. "And should be open for eleven more. I want the Lord Wrath and Darth Nox out in seven." 

"Are there any special resources we can tap while we are down there if we run into any trouble?" 

"A team of the Imperial Guard has volunteered to join this assault. In addition, three clans of Mandalorians are eager for the blood of Jedi. We have also recruited the most elite mercenaries for special objectives, such as seeking out and engaging high ranking officers. The Besalisk Bounty Hunter will be among them. The one called 'Dust'."

"No further questions, Dark Lord." 

Kai'rene slammed her fists together. "Right then. I'm ready to leave." 

* * *

Darth Nox continued her reading as the Task Force prepared for Lightspeed. Lana, unfortunately, would remain busy for the rest of the mission. So it would be until afterwards that they'd get a real chance to continue discussing her recently published thesis about the nature of the Force. 

For now, she'd have to be satisfied with the tale of the Karidin War. 

This time though she Sensed someone approaching, she did not expect to be distracted. 

"Ello, Dark Lord!" Darth Prowle said, slamming down a large tray with a covered dish, two mugs, and a bottle on the table. She still spoke with the same loud boom of a voice that she had used in the briefing. "Mind if I join you?" 

"Please, be my guest, Lord Wrath!" Nox replied. Her heart raced. What did the Emperor's prime enforcer want with her? 

"Call me Kai'rene," she said, shaking her hand dismissively. "Sorry to alarm you. I just figured that if we're going to storm the enemy's most cherished stronghold together, might as well get to know one another."

"Fair enough," Nox said. Kai'rene uncovered the dish, revealing an assortment of skewered kebabs. The drinks, it turned out, was ginger ale. 

"Not bringing your Apprentice along?" Kai'rene asked. 

"Ashara is a former Jedi," Nox shrugged. "And unlike many who leave their Order for ours, she didn't really hate them. I thought she'd prefer not to be involved in the attack at their heart." 

"Funny," Kai'rene chortled. "It was the same reason I left my own Apprentice behind." 

Nox nodded, still not lowering her guard. This one was too friendly. 

"I've heard a good deal about you, Dark Lord," Kai'rene smiled. "Entering a session of the Dark Council and besting a Member in single combat? Classy! When  _ I  _ did it, I'd been sanctioned by the Emperor himself. You though? You walked in like you owned the place! And the way most of them tiptoe around you, I'd think you did!"

So that's what this was about. It was a closely guarded secret among the Dark Council that to the Emperor, death might be naught but a hindrance. They fully expected that he would return, but every last one of them worked to delay that. Marr had confided in her that no one really missed his passing, and that the Empire was better off without him. But his closest servants —and the one christened “Emperor’s Wrath” possibly among them—might not appreciate that sentiment. 

"Would that be so bad?" 

Kai'rene shrugged. "Only if you're a bad Empress." 

"I don't  _ want _ to be Empress though." 

"Really?" she asked, scarred nose wrinkling in disappointment. "That's sad. They need proper direction up there. And Marr doesn't seem interested either." 

"Then why don't you do it?" 

She took a deep swig of the ale and set the mug down with relish. "I'm shit at administration, that's why." 

"The Emperor hadn't governed us in centuries though. It was the Council that did that." 

" _ He _ was functionally Immortal," Kai'rene said. "Not to mention, treated like a God. The next Emperor or Empress won't be. They can't stand apart too long without someone seeking to depose them."

"Well  _ I  _ have no intention of taking the throne either." 

"So you've mentioned already. It's alright. If you don't want it, then you don't want it." 

There was silence as Kai'rene took a bite and chewed, but against Nox's expectations, she wasn't done talking. 

"Emperor or not, things need to change up there. There's far too many flaws in our way of thinking for us to survive even if we do win this war." 

"What do you mean?" 

"There are things that I want to change. About how we treat slaves, Sith, nobility. Everything. The nepotism, the prevalence of reckless and raving lunatics. Basically, I hate how we treat life like its worth shit. We're willing to throw away billions of lives for small gain. I'm sure you know what I mean better than I do." she nodded at Nox's slave brands.

Nox growled despite herself. "I do. What's your interest in this?" 

Kai'rene looked her right in the eye. "I think life's precious that's all." 

Nox couldn't help it. She snorted. But that didn't make her companion angry. Rather, she grew agitated, and elaborated further. 

"When I was a girl, I was a small-time noble growing up in a poorer neighborhood. I had a lot of friends whose parents were shopkeepers. Labourers. Cab drivers. Heck the first boy I fucked was a grocer's son. One of my friend's… her father worked for the Minister of Logistics. I saw some of his papers, which held the death toll of the last war. The real toll, not the official one. When I saw that… I can't describe how empty I felt that day. The Empire supposedly won, but we lost  _ trillions _ of souls.  _ Trillions _ ! And so many of them were slaves who died abandoned aboard sinking ships and doomed forts… What kind of victory is that? How many such victories can the Galaxy survive before we go back to the Stone Age? I understand that you don't believe me, Dark Lord, but I  _ do _ feel strongly about this. And I want it to change. Like I said though; I can't rule. I don't know the first thing about it. I can't be the one to introduce the changes I want in the Empire. But as Emperor's Wrath I do have considerable power. And I can support policy and decisions in this regard. And I can protect a Councillor--you, if you are willing--should they decide to help me make such policy."

Ohhh! Nox had been wrong.  _ This _ was what Kai'rene really wanted to discuss, and she seemed quite sincere about it. If she was lying, Nox couldn't Sense it. She certainly wasn’t pushing for her to take the throne anymore, merely the reins. Perhaps, for once, she really had found an honest Sith? 

And even if she did have a more hidden agenda here, the idea of such reforms excited her. Not to mention the prospect of an alliance with the most deadly Sith in the Galaxy. 

She smiled at the tall human.

"I think we should talk some more!" 

The human smirked. "Yes, we really should!" 

* * *

  
  



End file.
